Rick Adelman

Rick Adelman (born June 16, 1946 in Lynwood,
California) is a head basketball coach and former
player in the National Basketball Association.  He
currently coaches the Sacramento Kings; previously
in his career he has served as head coach of the
Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail
Blazers. 

Adelman began his basketball career as a
collegiate star at Loyola Marymount University.
In the 1968 NBA Draft, he was selected by the
Houston Rockets|San Diego Rockets (now the Houston
Rockets) in the 7th round.  He played two seasons
in San Diego before being taken by the expansion
Trail Blazers in the 1970 expansion draft; he then
played three seasons in Portland.  He also played
for the Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz|New Orleans (now
Utah) Jazz, and the Sacramento Kings|Kansas
City/Omaha (now Sacramento) Kings.  He retired
from playing basketball in 1975.

From 1977 through 1983, Adelman coached at
Chemeteka Community College in Salem, Oregon,
after which he was hired by the Portland Trail
Blazers (then coached by Jack Ramsay) as an
assistant.  When Ramsay was fired and replaced
with Mike Schuler in 1986, Adelman was retained;
when Schuler was in turn fired during the 1989
season (when poor team chemistry resulted in the
team having a losing record), Adelman was promoted
to interim coach.  After leading the team into the
playoffs that year (despite a 39-43 record),
Adelman was given the coaching position on a
full-time basis in the 1989 off-season.

The next three years were quite successful for
Adelman and the Trail Blazers; the team went to
the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992 (losing to the
Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls in the
finals); and went to the Western Conference finals
(losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1991.
Adelman spent two more years with the team, but
was dismissed after the 1993-1994 season.

In 1995, Adelman was hired as the head coach of
the Golden State Warriors.   He was unable to
duplicate his success in Portland, and was fired
after only two years with the team. 

After a year's absence from the sidelines; Adelman
was hired by the Sacramento Kings in 1998, a
position he still holds.  Under Adelman's
guidance, the Kings have been one of the more
successful Western Conference teams in recent
years, with several trips to the conference
finals.  The Kings have yet to advance to the NBA
finals during Adelman's tenure, however.

In 2005, Adelman's name was mentioned as a
possibility to replace Maurice Cheeks in Portland
(where he still has family connections and still
maintains a home).  However,  management of the
Kings reportedly a request from the Trail Blazers
to interview Adelman.   

Adelman is widely regarded around the league as a
"player's coach", and is considered one of the
more capable coaches in the NBA.  However, he is
sometimes criticized for being too hands-off; some
NBA observers have suggested that Adelman's teams
are not as fundamentally sound as their opponents.
Adelman's defenders counter that his teams have
often over-achieved--advancing deep into the
playoffs without the benefit of a superstar such
as a Michael Jordan or Shaquille O'Neal. 

Adelman has a long association with Kings' general
manager (and former ex-Trail Blazer) Geoff Petrie.
Adelman's contract with the Kings expires at the
end of the 2005-2006 season.